The Roller Coaster
by Tinuviel Rose
Summary: The team's latest case takes them to the Adventure Park. Lisbon hates roller coasters but Jane might just change her mind with a bit of persuasion. This is my first story so I hope you find it entertaining.


_Teresa pulled Patrick towards her and kissed him directly on the lips. He pulled back after a moment, an apologetic frown on his face._

"_I'm sorry Teresa, I can't…"_

_She silenced him with a finger on his lips._

"_I won't pretend I can replace her. But it's time to let go. Kiss me, you idiot."_

_She tried again and this time he responded, leaning in and wrapping his arms around her. Teresa kissed him hungrily, insistently; and it was like a barrier crumbled between them. Now he held her tightly with a passion that matched her own. His kisses moved down to the soft skin on her neck and every touch was a jolt of electricity. She closed her eyes and ran her fingers through those gorgeous golden curls…_

"Am I interrupting something?"

Teresa blinked and realised Patrick was standing in the doorway to her office, a quizzical smile on his face. She started to blush and then caught herself. Despite his claims to the contrary, he couldn't _really _read her mind.

"No. What took you so long anyway? We've got a crime scene to investigate at the Adventure Park."

"The one with the Tower of Terror? This should be fun."

Patrick's enthusiasm was infectious and Teresa found herself smiling without meaning to. He left her office whistling cheerfully. Teresa watched him go and her mind started to drift into the forbidden zone again. Then she gave herself a mental slap and grabbed her handbag and keys.

It was an hour-long drive to the park, through Thursday-morning traffic. Cho, Rigsby and Van-Pelt had left already so it was just Teresa and Patrick in the car. She explained the case to him. An old area of the park was being redeveloped and when they knocked down the old theatre they found two dead bodies inside a brick wall. Obviously it would be very bad PR for the park, so management wanted it solved with minimal fuss.

Patrick suddenly turned and interrupted her.

"What is your favourite amusement park ride, Lisbon?"

Teresa felt a surge of irritation. Had he even been listening to her?

"I'm not really that fond of amusement parks."

"Not even roller coasters?"

She shuddered slightly. "Especially not roller coasters. Can we get back to discussing the case now?"

Patrick studied her face from the passenger seat and she started to feel uncomfortably warm. She hated the way Jane made you feel he was looking right into your soul. No, that was untrue. she didn't _hate_ the feeling, it was actually incredibly sexy. But it aroused feelings that were inappropriate in a professional relationship.

"No, I suppose you wouldn't like roller coasters. You like to feel in control at all times. In a ride like that you have no control at all. In fact…I think that your favourite ride would be the go-karts".

"Ok, you got me."

Memories surfaced, her father taking her and her brothers to the go-karts when she was eight years old. They drove round and round the track on that golden summer afternoon, and then had hot-dogs and candyfloss for dinner, much to the disapproval of her mother.

Patrick smiled to himself and let her reminisce in silence.

They drove in the service entrance of the park and were directed to a construction site by an employee. There was a small crowd of people standing around the rubble of a half-demolished building. The area was cordoned off and separated from the rest of the park by a temporary fence. Agent Cho was talking with a middle-aged man in a crisp grey suit. When he saw Lisbon he motioned them over.

"This is the park manager, Frank Burns."

Patrick listened to the conversation for a while and then wandered over to the brick wall where Van Pelt and a forensics expert gathered samples. Two desiccated skeletons were sprawled on the ground amongst fallen bricks and plaster, obviously dislodged by the nearby crane and wrecking ball. The corpses were clothed but it was hard to tell the style or colour under all the dust. One had long dark hair, also covered in dust.

"This theatre was built thirty years ago. They must have been there all this time". The park manager explained.

Patrick Jane shook his head.

"No. They were placed there after the building was constructed."

"How can you know that?" the manager asked in irritation.

Everyone watched as Patrick smiled and picked up two bricks from the ground.

"Anyone noticed anything different about these bricks?"

"They're slightly different colours" Cho observed.

"Yes they are. And the mortar is rough. The killer knocked out some bricks, stuffed the bodies in, and then filled the hole. He was either in a hurry or not a very good brick-layer. Probably both."

Van Pelt chimed in; "He's right, those bodies don't look more than ten years old.".

Patrick nodded and smiled at her.

"In fact, I would be willing to bet that there is at least one more body in that wall over there."

The park manager started in surprise and everyone looked at the slightly discoloured section of wall that Jane was pointing at.

Teresa sighed. "Alright Mr Burns. Get your crane driver back and knock down that wall too."

An hour later the construction workers finished rigging grappling hooks and were ready to bring the whole wall down. Teresa looked around for Patrick, who was nowhere to be seen. She was just about to send people looking for him when he appeared with a stick of candy floss in one hand and a fluffy tiger toy in the other.

"Don't you just love theme parks?" he asked of no-one in particular.

"This is not a holiday, Jane" Teresa reprimanded him in exasperation.

"Don't worry Lisbon, I used my time productively. By the way, I won this for you my dear."

He turned to Van-Pelt and handed her the tiger with a flourish.

"Uh, thanks. How sweet of you."

Van-Pelt smiled as she accepted the toy. Rigsby glared suspiciously at Jane, while Cho just watched in bemusement.

They watched as the wall came down with a crash. As the dust settled a third skeleton appeared, nestled in the cavity behind. Patrick grinned like a boy who just found hidden treasure.

Teresa was a bit irritated by that. Did he have to be so smug about being right all the time? She felt the urge to slap that self-congratulatory grin off his face. Then she thought about some other things she would like to do to him and had to force herself to concentrate on the case instead.

"What now, boss?" Cho asked.

"I want this whole area x-ray imaged. There could be more of them. There's not much more we can do until the labs have analysed the bodies. Get a list of employees and contractors going back ten years from Burns and then head back to the office."

_A few days later_

"Lab results are back, Lisbon." Cho entered holding a wad of paper.

"They've been dead approximately 5 years. The two females were African-American 15 and 16 years old, the male a Caucasian in his early 20s. There's a crack on the male's skull consistent with a blunt weapon but it's impossible to tell how the girls died."

Teresa took the notes and started thumbing through them.

"Do we have any id's yet?"

"Yes. We got a dental match from one of the girls, she was a runaway from Los Angeles. Nothing about the others."

"Alright, let's find the parents. You and Rigsby carry on interviewing the park staff. And…where is Jane?"

Cho raised one eyebrow in surprise.

"He said you told him to scout around the park some more."

Teresa sighed. "I should have known."

_The next day_

"A couple of names kept popping up" Cho said at the team meeting.

"Bill Reynolds and his son James. Bill was a maintenance engineer at the park for 15 years. James briefly worked as a ride attendant. He was reprimanded a couple of times for harassing young female visitors. Get this, they both left the park 5 years ago."

"Good," Teresa nodded. "Get addresses and we'll interview them both."

"Yes, we need to visit old Billy." Patrick said from his reclining position on the couch.

"He now works at Six Flags."

"Another amusement park?" Rigsby asked eagerly.

No-one had a home address for Bill or James so Lisbon, Jane and Rigsby flew to Los Angeles to find him at the Six Flags park. It was Wednesday morning and in the middle of the school term so the park was relatively quiet but still bustling with thrill-seekers and roaring rollercoasters. The park manager directed them to a utility building in a corner of the park that was off-limits to the public.

Teresa knocked on the door aluminium door and Rigsby stood beside her looking staunch as usual. A scruffy-looking old man in blue overalls opened the door..

"Can I help you?" he asked suspiciously.

"Bill Reynolds?"

"Billy" he grunted.

"We're from the CBI and we need to ask you a few questions about your previous job at the adventure park."

He looked at them for a moment and then motioned them inside. The building was sparsely furnished, the walls covered in logs and schedules. Tools and other supplies were stacked along the far wall. There was a bench and coffee machine in one corner, a small desk and computer in the other.

Bill motioned for them to sit on an old but serviceable couch, while he sat down stiffly on the computer chair.

"Mr Reynolds, we are investigating three bodies that were found inside a wall in an old section of the park." Teresa stated.

"What a terrible thing. But I don't know anything about that." Bill said flatly.

"We understand your son also worked there for a while. Can you tell us where he is?"

"Jimmy is backpacking around Europe. But he wouldn't know anything about it either."

"Alright but we still need to talk with him. Do you have any contact details?" Lisbon pressed him.

"No. I don't even know what country he's in at the moment."

Patrick stood up and picked up a photo frame from the desk.

"Is this James?"

The boy in the picture was young, maybe 12 years old. The photo looked old.

Bill glanced at it briefly.

"Yes, that's him"

"Mr Reynolds, I know you're hiding something."

Teresa and Rigsby looked at Patrick sharply but didn't say anything.

"I'm not hiding anything. " Bill declared, folding his arms.

Patrick leaned closer and stared into Bill's eyes. Bill glared defiantly at Lisbon instead.

"Your son isn't in Europe, is he." Patrick stated softly.

"In fact, he is one of the bodies we found in the wall."

"No" Bill pleaded.

"Yes. And we can get a DNA test to prove it. The truth will come out, Mr Reynolds. Why don't you tell us what happened. Did you kill him and those two girls?"

Bill slumped and he suddenly looked despairing.

"No. James killed the girls. He said it was an accident…he said... I found him at the park late at night trying to hide the bodies. I told him to go the police. But he wouldn't. I told him I was going to the police myself but he…attacked me. I hit him with a brick a bit too hard and he died. I killed my son!"

Bill put his head in his hands and started sobbing. Satisfied at another mystery solved, Patrick went outside. Teresa looked at Rigsby.

"Call a car for Mr Reynolds." She said softly.

A police car met them at the parking lot and Bill climbed in without a fuss, his eyes distant and expressionless. They watched as it drove away, and Teresa suddenly realised that Patrick had given them the slip again. She scanned the lot and he reappeared from the main entrance, holding some plastic tickets.

"Look, I got us some tickets" he said brightly. "We've solved the case and the next plane doesn't leave for another 4 hours so we might as well have a bit of fun while we're here."

Rigsby's eyes lit up and he accepted a ticket. "Thanks, man."

"No. Out of the question." Teresa said.

Patrick sidled closer and smiled encouragingly.

"Come on, it's about time you got over this fear of roller coasters."

"I am NOT afraid of roller coasters!" she retorted.

"Great, let's go then". He put his arm through hers and gently pulled her towards the entrance.

"All right." She relented. "Maybe one ride."

They looked some-what out of place in their business clothes, especially Patrick in his immaculate suit. Children stared curiously and he smiled and waved at them.

The queues were relatively short and Teresa found herself being ushered through turnstile into something resembling a subway tunnel.

She eased into the coaster car with misgivings. Patrick squeezed into the seat next to her and Rigsby took the next car. The restraints lowered around them and Teresa felt distinctly closed-in and uncomfortable.

"I don't know why I let you talk me into things like this." She complained.

Patrick leaned closer and spoke softly in her ear.

"Admit it Lisbon, I make your life more interesting and you like it."

His breath on her neck made her skin tingle and she breathed in the smell of his cologne, paralysed by a sudden wave of longing.

The train started moving and glided along a dark tunnel for a while. Teresa's heart thudded in her chest, and she was acutely aware Patrick's presence next to her, his leg pressed against hers. The end of the tunnel appeared all too soon, and they came to a sudden stop.

Teresa looked around in surprise "What is…"

The rest of her sentence was lost as they were suddenly accelerated at an incredible rate and forced back into their seats. The coaster shot out of the tunnel and high into the air on a thin metal track.

Teresa instinctively grabbed hold of the side of the car with her right hand and Patrick's arm with her left. He yelled in delight as they reached the top of the climb and began the exhilarating descent. Teresa's teeth rattled in her head and she could barely see with the wind rushing past so fast. All she knew was that the ground was coming towards them at a terrifying speed. Her body rigid as a board, she clenched her jaw and gripped Patrick's arm with punishing force.

They went up and down again, upside-down and inside out before the coaster finally hurtled back into the tunnel and abruptly decelerated with a hiss of gas.

"Awesome!" Rigsby yelled from somewhere behind them.

Patrick prised Teresa's fingers off his arm and started rubbing it to get the feeling back.

"You're doing it all wrong" he said, grinning at her. "You're way too tense. You need to relax and enjoy it."

She glared at him.

The coaster glided back into the station and the attendant asked if they wanted to go round again.

"Defnitely!" said Patrick.

"No thanks" Teresa said weakly. But the attendant didn't hear and the restraints stayed firmly in place.

Patrick took her hand then and started talking softly in her ear again.

"I want you to listen to me, Lisbon. Listen to the sound of my voice and relax. This ride is perfectly safe. You are going to relax and enjoy the ride."

Teresa wasn't sure if it was the silky sound of his voice or his warm hand in hers but she did start to feel surprisingly relaxed. As the coaster trundled through the tunnel again she felt a curiously light and detached from her body. This time she was ready for the sudden acceleration at the end of the tunnel. The coaster hurtled into the sky and she couldn't resist a scream of exhilaration.

As the coaster glided back into the station, Teresa realized a stupid grin was plastered on her face.

"How was that?" Patrick asked, smiling.

"It wasn't bad" she admitted sheepishly.

The restraints lifted and Teresa did something totally impulsive. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek while no-one could see.

"Thanks, Patrick".

He looked surprised. She hopped out of the coaster, still grinning. Let him ponder that for a while.


End file.
